The Sea(hawk) Experience

Every year on our training trip, the Wagner swimming and diving team are given an afternoon off from practice and have the chance to spend the day in whichever way they like.  Some of my teammates decided to turn into true beach bums and stayed on the beach all day the moment we were done with morning practice.  Others decided to take a nap in the room and simply lounge at the beach, while others decided to go on the "Sea Experience" snorkeling and boat tour for the afternoon.

We went on a glass-bottom boat that took us off the shores of Fort Lauderdale and went out snorkeling to see the reefs and fish.  Although we were greeted by slight rain when we departed for our trip down Millionaire Lane, we reached our snorkeling destination and met clear blue skies,  a slight breeze, and a steady stream of sunlight.

I decided to be a boat-rider and photographer for the day and stayed on the boat with the captain and his assistant while the others cannon-balled into the warm Atlantic to explore its waters. In all honesty, I expected to be a little bored, but I actually found myself enjoying every moment on the ship with the captain, snapping away with my camera and capturing the snorkelers and the beautiful scenery. Going on this glass-bottom boat was one of the best decisions I made on the trip.

I had the opportunity to learn how to sail a boat and learned the ways of seamen.  The captain was awesome and taught me the difference between the port side of the ship and the starboard side.  If I ever happen to get stranded on a motor boat, I would be able to navigate it back to shore safely.

Our snorkeling group really bonded together and made many priceless memories that I happened to capture on camera. I would gladly go back in time and relive that afternoon again. This Sea Experience made this training trip unique and different from last year's, and I cannot wait to see what else is in store for our team as we head towards the last half of our season!